“Money Miss Road” Will Stream Soon, Says Obi Emelonye

“Money Miss Road” is a reboot of the film I made in 2006 titled “Lucky Joe”. It starred Okey Bakasi, Jide Kosoko, Anthony Monjaro and Patience Ozokwor.

I believe that the small budget film that managed a cinema run in the UK in 2006 deserves a fresh treatment with equipment and filmmaking philosophy. And based on the feedback so far, that hypothesis is right.

Every story emerges from an idea, a small thought that comes into your head as a writer. For example: What if a London boy goes missing after being taken to Africa by his mother. That idea from my wife gave birth to “The Mirror Boy.”

It is like that for every film. Sometimes I get scripts pitched to me and, it doesn’t matter the genre, if the story touches me in a certain way, I’ll drive towards bringing it to life. So film stories are just developed ideas and being a good director comes from having the right feelers or tentacles for stories that connect.

I am a restless and eclectic filmmaker. By that I mean that I am never satisfied with exploring one genre.

From the fantasy of “The Mirror Boy,” I delved into the high octane thriller that was “Last Flight to Abuja.”

From the music and the passion of youth in “Crazy, Lovely, Cool,” I went to the nostalgia of a historical biopic like “Badamasi.” “Onye Ozi” was my second attempt at a comedy after “Lucky Joe.”

And after touching a few genres after that and with all that’s going on in the world  today, a comedy film seems to be a nice fit. Variety, they say, is the spice of life.

I am not one of those that believe a film should have a unanimous essence, one meaning or message. That’s not possible.

Everyone will take from a story you tell whatever they want based on their unique circumstances. The idea is to tell a full story from the heart and hope that people find aspects of the story to inspire them.

Some may see the vanity and ephemeral nature of money in “Money Miss Road.” Others will see the beauty of friendship. Many more will swear by the sex scene [lol].

It depends. Whatever people get, it’s ok. It’s valid.

After going round the block with all genres again, I promise I’d be back to comedy soon.

I am grateful that people have not become tired of me. They can do that. People could just say, “na this guy again? Make e go siddon jare.” And it doesn’t matter if you are still doing great work. Ask some musicians.

So I am happy that there’s still some acceptance of my work, even though I have been at this for a while. I think personal development helps. If I believe I know it all and don’t open myself to new learning and ideas, then I’ll become old and my concepts will become tired. But in continuing to learn, to experience, by continuing to study (completing a PhD next year), and teaching filmmaking at the University of Huddersfield, I keep my mind young and my ideas fresh.

The rest is really God’s grace for which I am most grateful. 

I have tried to be a few things in my life – from a doctor, to a singer, to a dramatist, to a footballer, to a lawyer. I believe everything I am goes into everything I do.

So my personal experiences have come together to mould this unique human being who has a touch that’s different from the norm. When I was growing up I never set out to be a filmmaker. But I was convinced that whatever it was I eventually settled on, I’ll give my best to it and achieve greatness with it.

So when I decided to be a filmmaker in 1999, I knew that if I gave it my all, I would excel. It’s taken some time but I have found peace and contentment.

Of course. Every project needs to be more ambitious than the last. And  ambition doesn’t necessarily mean money although that helps. My dad used to say that if your plans don’t frighten you, then they’re not ambitious enough.

I have big projects. Very big projects are coming.

Nollywood has done great for a young film industry that started from nothing only 30 years ago. There have been teeth pains but that’s to be expected.

The industry has made huge progress and the fact that the major players in the world – Netflix, Amazon, HBO and Disney – are falling over themselves for a place in the country tells you everything you need to know.

There’s no perfect industry. Our storytelling could be better and the valuation of our projects in global distribution platforms needs to improve. But all in all, we have an industry that is the envy of the world to be proud of.

Every film project has its own journey. I had always known that “Badamasi” was going to be difficult. It proved more problematic than I anticipated. But it’s ok. The summary is that the film is out on Amazon prime and people can finally engage with the story behind the history. I am grateful for little mercies.

“Money Miss Road” has started great.

In addition to getting a theatrical release in Nigeria, it has already been optioned by one of the streaming platforms.

There’ll be an announcement about that soon by Blue Pictures Entertainment. It is indeed a blessed project.

My company, The Nollywood Factory, and Blue Pictures have signed a five-picture slate deal.

The first of those films is a big one involving an Oscar-winning actress. The script was based on a book by Chineme Emeghara. We are in pre-production for that and it’s going to be a Hollywood/Nollywood cross. Very excited about that.

Then there are many more because there’s no arrival in this industry. It’s a continuum and you have to keep striving.